Amos 5:4

Amplified Bible

For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "Seek Me [search diligently for Me and regard Me as more essential than food] so that you may live.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For the Lord says to the house of Israel:

Hebrew Names Version
For thus says the LORD to the house of Yisra'el: "Seek me, and you will live;

King James Version
For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

English Standard Version
For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live;

New American Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek Me so that you may live.

New Century Version
This is what the Lord says to the nation of Israel: "Come to me and live.

Geneva Bible (1587)
For thus saith the Lorde vnto the house of Israel, Seeke ye me, and ye shal liue.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "Seek Me that you may live.

Legacy Standard Bible
For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel,"Seek Me that you may live.

Berean Standard Bible
For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: "Seek Me and live!

Contemporary English Version
The Lord keeps saying, "Israel, turn back to me and you will live!

Complete Jewish Bible
For here is what Adonai says to the house of Isra'el: "If you seek me, you will survive;

Darby Translation
For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live.

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord says this to the nation of Israel: "Come looking for me and live.

George Lamsa Translation
For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: Seek me and you shall live;

Good News Translation
The Lord says to the people of Israel, "Come to me, and you will live.

Lexham English Bible
For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel, "Seek me so that you may live."

Literal Translation
For so says Jehovah to the house of Israel, Seek Me, and live.

American Standard Version
For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live;

Bible in Basic English
For these are the words of the Lord to the children of Israel: Let your hearts be turned to me, so that you may have life:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live;

King James Version (1611)
For thus saith the Lord vnto the house of Israel, Seeke ye mee, and ye shall liue.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For thus sayth the Lord vnto the house of Israel, Seke ye me, and ye shall liue.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Wherefore thus saith the Lord to the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live.

English Revised Version
For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

World English Bible
For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel: "Seek me, and you will live;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For the Lord seith these thingis to the hous of Israel, Seke ye me, and ye schulen lyue;

Update Bible Version
For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel, Seek me, and you shall live;

Webster's Bible Translation
For thus saith the LORD to the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

New English Translation
The Lord says this to the family of Israel: "Seek me so you can live!

New King James Version
For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: "Seek Me and live;

New Living Translation
Now this is what the Lord says to the family of Israel: "Come back to me and live!

New Life Bible
The Lord says to the people of Israel, "Look for Me and live.

New Revised Standard
For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek me and live;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For, thus, saith Yahweh, to the house of Israel, - Seek me, and live;

Douay-Rheims Bible
For thus saith the Lord to the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and you shall live.

Revised Standard Version
For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel: "Seek me and live;

Young's Literal Translation
For thus said Jehovah to the house of Israel: Seek ye Me, and live,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles, thus sayeth the LORDE vnto ye house of Israel: Seke after me, ad ye shal lyue,

THE MESSAGE
God 's Message to the family of Israel: "Seek me and live. Don't fool around at those shrines of Bethel, Don't waste time taking trips to Gilgal, and don't bother going down to Beer-sheba. Gilgal is here today and gone tomorrow and Bethel is all show, no substance."

Contextual Overview

⁴For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel, "Seek Me [search diligently for Me and regard Me as more essential than food] so that you may live. ⁵"But do not resort to Bethel [to worship the golden calf] Nor enter [idolatrous] Gilgal, Nor cross over to Beersheba [and its idols]; For Gilgal will certainly go into captivity and exile, And Bethel will come to nothing. ⁶"Seek the LORD [search diligently for Him and long for Him as your most essential need] so that you may live, Or He will rush down like a [devouring] fire, O house of Joseph, And there will be no one to quench the flame for [idolatrous] Bethel, ⁷For those [shall be consumed] who turn justice into wormwood (bitterness) And cast righteousness down to the earth." ⁸He who made the [cluster of stars called] Pleiades and [the constellation] Orion, Who turns deep darkness into the morning And darkens the day into night, Who calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the surface of the earth, The LORD is His name. ⁹It is He who causes [sudden] destruction to flash forth on the strong So that destruction comes on the fortress. ¹⁰They hate the one who reprimands [the unrighteous] in the [court held at the city] gate [regarding him as unreasonable and rejecting his reprimand], And they detest him who speaks [the truth] with integrity and honesty. ¹¹Therefore, because you impose heavy rent on the poor And demand a tribute (food-tax) of grain from them, Though you have built [luxurious] houses of square stone, You will not live in them; You have planted beautiful vineyards, but you will not drink their wine. ¹²For I know your transgressions are many and your sins are great (shocking, innumerable), You who distress the righteous and take bribes, And turn away from the poor in the [court of the city] gate [depriving them of justice]. ¹³Therefore, he who is prudent and has insight will keep silent at such a [corrupt and evil] time, for it is an evil time [when people will not listen to truth and will disregard those of good character].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Seek: Amos 5:6, Deuteronomy 30:1-8, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 15:2, 2 Chronicles 20:3, 2 Chronicles 34:3, Psalms 14:2, Psalms 27:8, Isaiah 55:6, Isaiah 55:7, Jeremiah 29:12, Jeremiah 29:13, Lamentations 3:25, Lamentations 3:26, Zephaniah 2:3, Matthew 7:8

and: Psalms 22:26, Psalms 69:32, Psalms 105:3, Psalms 105:4, Isaiah 55:3

Reciprocal: 2 Chronicles 14:4 - seek Isaiah 31:1 - neither Isaiah 45:19 - Seek Ezekiel 18:9 - he shall Hosea 10:12 - time Hosea 11:7 - are bent Amos 4:12 - prepare Matthew 7:7 - seek Luke 11:9 - seek

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth."

Genesis 5:1
This is the book (the written record, the history) of the generations of [the descendants of] Adam. When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness].

Genesis 5:3
When Adam had lived a hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.

Genesis 5:7
Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after the birth of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:10
Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after the birth of Kenan and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:13
Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after the birth of Mahalalel and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:19
Jared lived eight hundred years after the birth of Enoch and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:22
Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:26
Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after the birth of Lamech and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 5:30
Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after the birth of Noah and had other sons and daughters.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For thus saith the Lord unto the house of Israel,.... Or "yet" a, notwithstanding all this, though such judgments were threatened and denounced, and such desolations should certainly come, in case of impenitence, and an obstinate continuance in a course of sin; yet hopes are given of finding mercy and kindness upon repentance and reformation, at least to the remnant of them; see Amos 5:15;

seek ye me; seek my fear, as the Targum; fear and reverence, serve and worship, the Lord God; return unto him by repentance; seek to him by prayer and supplication; acknowledge your sins, and humble yourselves before him, and implore his pardoning grace and mercy:

and ye shall live; in your own land, and not be carried out of it; live comfortably, in great plenty of good things; and live spiritually, enjoying the favour of God, and his presence in his ordinances, and live eternally in the world to come.

a כי "attamen", Grotius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Seek ye Me and ye shall live - Literally, “seek Me; and live.” Wonderful conciseness of the word of God, which, in two words, comprises the whole of the creature’s duty and his hopes, his time and his eternity. The prophet users the two imperatives, inoneing both, man’s duty and his reward. He does not speak of them, as cause and effect, but as one. Where the one is, there is the other. To seek God is to live. For to seek God is to find Him, and God is Life and the Source of life. Forgiveness, grace, life, enter the soul at once. But the seeking is diligent seeking. : “It is not to seek God anyhow, but as it is right and meet that He should be sought, longed for, prayed for, who is so great, a Good, constantly, fervently, yea, to our power, the more constantly and fervently, as an Infinite Good is more to be longed for, more loved than all created good.” The object of the search is God Himself. “Seek Me,” that is, seek God for Himself, not for anything out of Him, not for His gifts, not for anything to be loved with Him. This is not to seek Him purely. All is found in Him, but by seeking Him first, and then loving Him in all, and all in Him. “And ye shall live,” first by the life of the body, escaping the enemy; then by the life of grace now, and the life of glory hereafter, as in that of the Psalmist, “your heart shall live who seek God” Psalms 69:32.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Amos 5:4. Seek ye me, and ye shall live — Cease your rebellion against me; return to me with all your heart; and though consigned to death, ye shall be rescued and live. Deplorable as your case is, it is not utterly desperate.